Krapović on [lat]CEDC+WB[/lat]: Strengthening regional cooperation is key to European security

The meeting of defense ministers of the Central Europe and Western Balkans Defense Cooperation Initiative (CEDC+WB) was held today in the Republic of Slovenia, bringing together representatives from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia. It emphasized that the modern security environment requires enhancing national defense capacities, more intensive regional cooperation, and coordinated actions among allies and partners, with a shared commitment to peace, stability, and democratic values. Krapović highlighted the importance of the Western Balkans for Europe's overall security and the CEDC+WB format as an important framework for political dialogue, experience exchange, and concrete cooperation among Central European and Western Balkan countries. He informed the interlocutors about Montenegro's progress on its European path, stating that EU membership remains its key foreign policy priority. He thanked the CEDC member states for their ongoing support of Montenegro's and the region's European perspective and pointed out the importance of a strong NATO and EU presence for the long-term stability of the Western Balkans. During the meeting, the importance of courses and training to improve leadership skills of experts and decision-makers, as well as continuous cooperation among Western Balkan countries in current geostrategic circumstances, was highlighted.